Healthcare can be a stressful matter to handle in a new country, especially as an international student with limited financial means. It's even trickier if you have a chronic illness, were undergoing treatment in your home country, and need prescription medicines. You need to familiarize yourself with your study destination's healthcare system and university's services, get a good health insurance plan, consult your doctors before taking the plane, stock up on medication, and create an emergency plan.
Research your health insurance options as an international student
Healthcare systems can vary widely from country to country. Most countries have a public healthcare system, but the services they cover, their ease of access, and, most importantly, their availability to non-citizens/residents can vary.
Canada is well-known for its public healthcare system, but unfortunately, only tax-paying citizens and permanent residents can access it at no additional cost. All international students need to have health insurance when they move to Canada.
In Germany, health insurance has been compulsory for everyone since 2009. International students under the age of 30 can subscribe to the public health insurance system, which is called the Geseztliche Krankenversicherung (or GKV). However, older students have no choice but to get private health insurance.
Australia has a special health insurance scheme tailored just for international students called the Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC). Students can often subscribe to it via their university. International students from Belgium, Norway and Sweden are exempted from it because of a bilateral healthcare agreement between Australia and their home countries.
Health insurance can be trickier for an international student in the US. All packages tend to cover new illnesses and accidents, but many don't cover routine checkups. If you have a chronic illness that requires routine checkups (e.g., asthma, diabetes, etc.), choose a package that does cover them because otherwise, you'll be paying a lot out of pocket for these because all health services are expensive in the US.
In the UK, all international students need to pay a surcharge (the IHS) to the public healthcare system, the NHS, as part of their visa application. Within their first month in the country, they must register with a local GP surgery corresponding to their postcode. They should be able to access all types of healthcare at this local surgery, including routine checks, but it doesn't cover dentistry and eye tests. As the NHS is understaffed, unfortunately, waiting times for non-urgent treatments can be long. Students cannot use their IHS surcharge for quicker treatment from a private doctor. To see a private doctor, they would then have to pay out of pocket or use private health insurance.
Familiarize yourself with your study destination's healthcare system
Whichever country you will be studying in, familiarize yourself with the terms of its healthcare system and your specific insurance. Understand clearly what terms like “claim,” “premium” or “deductible” mean in your specific insurance package – don't hesitate to ask questions by email, phone or in person to your insurance provider.
Also, check what tests and seasonal shots you are eligible for with your insurance or surcharge. You can make the most of the money you pay not just when you fall sick – you could also use it to get seasonal shots or preventative tests like cancer screenings. The NHS in the UK, for instance, sends an invite for cervical screening to any female student who is at least 25. Bring your vaccination card in your luggage abroad to be eligible for seasonal shots, including COVID-19 booster shots.
Access to sexual and reproductive healthcare can depend on the political climate of the place you are studying in. In study destinations where abortion is fully legal, international students can usually get an abortion in the public healthcare system. In Australia, for instance, the OSHC covers abortions, and in the UK, a GP at your surgery can refer you for an abortion.
However, in the US, quite many states have criminalized abortion, which will make it near-impossible or even dangerous to access this healthcare there. Safe abortions are then possible only if women travel out of the state or even the country. It's important to research the reproductive healthcare allowed and covered in the exact place you will be studying in, especially if you are a female international student.
Ask your university about its healthcare services
Your university will be your first contact in many emergencies, including health-related ones. Upon enrolling or even before completing enrolment, do ask advisors at your university about any healthcare services they provide. You can email them or talk to someone on your first day on campus. There is often an international student office to answer these questions, and it will likely also be brought up during orientation week.
Many universities have a small campus clinic where students can get First Aid, see a nurse or a GP, and get counseling services. For more advanced treatment, or if the university doesn't have a clinic, the university can still help you contact a regional hospital. On campus, you might also find some basic products for sexual health – like condoms, tampons and pads – offered freely to students.
If you have any disability or mental health issue, ask the university how it is classified in the country's healthcare system and its internal university system. Neurobehavioral conditions like ADHD and autism might be officially classified as a “disability,” which will allow you to get extra support during your course and even extensions on your assignments.
Get a pre-departure health checkup and stock up on medicines for a few months
Before you even take the plane to move abroad, make sure to get a blood test as well as routine checkup with your GP in your home country. If you suffer from any chronic issues, also do a routine checkup with your specialist doctor.
Ask your specialist doctor to write a signed letter concerning your chronic illness as well as the long-term treatment and medication you are on for it. Bringing this letter to the hospital abroad will speed up the process of getting a new prescription for these medicines in a new country. In some countries, doctors and pharmacists still write by hand. This might be less common in the country where you are going to study. Ask your doctor to have the letter and prescription typed – and only signed by hand – to ensure that your new healthcare provider abroad can read it properly and accept it. Also, try to have an official hospital or clinic stamp on these letters.
Be aware that the same medicine might be sold under a different brand name abroad. For example, the medicine Diltiazem for blood pressure is known as Adizem, Angitil, Tildiem, Viazem and Zemtard in different countries. Research the price of the brand that is sold in your study destination because it might be more expensive or (if you're lucky!) cheaper abroad. Insulin, for instance, is notoriously more expensive in the US than anywhere else. A standard vial of this diabetes medication costs $12 in Canada but $100 in the US.
If your medicines are more expensive abroad, try bringing a stock of them in your luggage that should last at least 3-6 months. You should be able to go through customs with them if you have a prescription and a receipt. Even if the medicines aren't more expensive abroad, it's worth bringing a stock for at least a month. It will take you some time to adjust to your new environment abroad, register with the healthcare services, and get an appointment for a new subscription, so you should have a stock to use in your first few weeks as an international student.
